What are Polished Crystals and what Applications are they Useful for?

Unpolished vs Polished Quartz

Polished quartz crystals, are differentiated from standard quartz crystals by their surface finish. The surface finish of a typical quartz crystal is 5 RMS roughness (approximately 0.1 µm)—RMS is calculated as the Root Mean Square of a surfaces measured microscopic peaks and valleys—while the surface finish of a polished quartz crystal is approximately .01 micron. This level of polishing renders the quartz entirely transparent.

Advantages and Applications for Polished Crystals

Polished crystals are ideal for a variety of research applications including light refraction. The reflective surface allows for excellent reflective properties. Polished crystals also have a more uniform surface that enables a greater level of sensitivity. Such characteristics are also good for ALD, which requires atomically accurate measurements.